The telecommunications and data transmission industries are increasingly dependent on optical fibers to relay data being transmitted to our homes and businesses. Optical fibers will certainly play an important role in carrying the vast amounts of voice and digital data on the Information Superhighway.
Optical fibers typically have an 8 to 100 .mu.m central glass core surrounded by a glass cladding with a diameter of up to 250 .mu.m. The cable is protected by a plastic outer shield. Unlike electric shielded cables, the optical fibers must not be kinked or wound about a radius less than the recommended minimum bending radius to avoid damage to the optical fiber cable or interfere with its performance.
When optical cables are installed in or terminated at a telecommunications or data transmission equipment, excess lengths of the optic cables may remain loose or unsecured. In telecommunication equipment that cross-connect many channels of voice and data signals, the large number of loose optical cables connected to the equipment may become an unmanageable, tangled mass. The mass of loose cables not only are unsightly but also may hinder equipment maintenance and servicing. The loose optic cables are also more prone to damage since they are unprotected and may be easily mishandled.
Accordingly, there is a need for apparatus for ordered arrangement and accommodation of excess lengths of a plurality of optic cables which ensures a minimum bending radius of the cables and protect the optic cables from mishandling.